Small amounts of data are increasingly being transferred between devices. This can include, for example, cryptographic or security data or simply the transfer of contact details or the like. Therefore simple techniques for transferring data are required.
One method of transferring data is via a Bluetooth™ file transfer that enables wireless connections and data exchange between two devices in proximity to each other. Bluetooth™ requires that devices between which data is to be transferred are paired which can take time and may be off-putting to users when only a small amount of data is to be transferred. As the pairing process is two-way this may be a security risk as a malicious user may be able to tamper with a paired device. The power consumption of Bluetooth™ devices can also be high, which can be undesirable for mobile devices.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is another technique used for data transfer between devices. NFC consumes less power than Bluetooth™ for transferring small amounts of data between devices over a short range and does not require pairing of the device. However, NFC is not widely implemented in current devices.
The embodiments described below are not limited to implementations which solve any or all of the disadvantages of known data transmission systems.